Here Are 10 Good Books

For 3 days straight I have started and abandoned a book per day because I didn’t like any of them.

I’m sure they’re all great books and I probably would enjoy them at a different time and/or in a different head space but here I am on the fourth day still searching for something to land on.

This happens like every month or two and it’s incredibly annoying every time.

I know something will stick soon. It always does.

But for now i’m in this limbo and I guess I just wanted to publicly complain about it in a way that might be useful.

So in case you’re having a similar problem at the moment, here are some recent reads I DID enjoy over the past 6 months.

#1 – Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation – Just blew my mind how much machines are capable of, and how important it is to be a valuable person in the long run. (and it further solidified how much more comfortable I am working for my self than for a corporation)

#2 – Letters to a Young Athlete – I honestly didn’t know why Chris Bosh left the NBA, but his story through this book, mixed in with all the sports/life lessons really hit home. Especially since I read it as someone in the middle of a long-term healing journey myself.

#3 – How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy – As you can probably tell, I am a non-stop thinker / worrier / processor. And most of it has to come out of me at some point. Usually on the internet. This book helped me think of ways to feel seen and heard and connected with the physical world around me that doesn’t necessarily have go involve other people, which was nice. Obviously it doesn’t stop me from participating in “the attention economy” lol but it helps me exist there a bit better.

#4 – A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life – I had no idea that the guy with spiky hair who is always making movies with Ron Howard was an author, but I’m glad I stumbled upon this book. It was fun to hear how his purposeful conversations led to such a notable life filled with history-making people and ginormous blockbuster movies.

#5 – Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals – Not gonna lie, this one kind of tricked me lol … I downloaded it because I always want to learn how to do more, and it’s basically how to not do more. It was a helpful gut check nonetheless.

#6 – Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual – I honestly just think Luvvie is HILARIOUS so I thought it would be a fun and lighthearted read. I was right about that, but it also had a lot of good reminders about business and personal development which I’ll always be glad to hear for the millionth time because repetition and reminders of the life I want are always welcome.

#7 – We Learn Nothing: Essays and Cartoons – The dark humor in this one was great. Compelling stories about this guy’s life that all had some deep messages on how to deal with rough times. It’s nice to sometimes be reminded that shit happens and that’s it. No happy ending. To me, the most helpful part was hearing how he dealt with his politics and those with opposing viewpoints. I’ve never enjoyed sad stories like this so much.

#8 – Dress Your Best Life: How to Use Fashion Psychology to Take Your Look – and Your Life – to the Next Level – Okay I had NEVER heard about clothing, style, and fashion in this manner. It’s not just “this is what looks good” but it’s like “these are what your clothes say about you” and “this is how you use clothes to feel certain ways” and so much more. It’s makes me want to be more intentional with my clothes (outside of the gym, of course, because I’m VERY picky about functionality above all else when it comes to training attire).

#9 – The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness – Similar to the clothing book above, it wasn’t what I expected, but it was even more useful than I could imagine. It helped me understand myself, my values, and how they can differ so widely from people I typically agree with on many other things besides money.

#10 – Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different – As someone who grew up in the 90’s, Fight Club was a big movie on my pop culture radar. I heard it was an amazing and weird book from an amazing and weird guy (it had to be in order to produce a movie like that), but I simply don’t read fiction. I have nothing against it, I just sort of feel like I’m wasting time. Which makes no sense, because I watch fictional shows and movies without issue. But whatever…ANYWAY, I never read Fight Club or anything else from Chuck Palahniuk because until recently it was all fiction. But THIS BOOK, a nonfiction work about his writing life, seemed like my chance to hear this “author genius” talk about real things. And it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I get the appeal with this guy. Dark, hilarious, odd, entertaining, and not even fiction.

Hope you like at least a few of those!

xoxo,

– AV